Dontos is secretly contacted by Petyr Baelish, who had learned from Lothor Brune how Sansa had saved Dontos's life, and knew he would make an ideal catspaw.[7] Baelish leaves Sansa an anonymous note saying, "come to the godswood tonight if you want to go home".[2][7] In the Red Keep's godswood, Sansa meets Dontos, who promises to help her escape. Drawing inspiration from the tales of Florian and Jonquil, he pleads to serve her, and asks for patience for they can only escape at the right time.[2]

Sansa continues to meet Dontos in the godswood often during her captivity. During the battle of the Blackwater, Dontos serves as a fool in the Queen's Ballroom in Maegor's Holdfast, attempting to entertain the ladies taking shelter there.[8] When the battle appears to go bad for the defenders, Dontos tells Sansa to lock herself in her bedroom, and after the battle he comes to Sansa's room to tell her that the Lannisters have won with the help of the Tyrells.[9] After the award ceremony for the battle, Dontos meets Sansa in the godswood and gives her a hairnet of "black amethysts from Asshai" (secretly strangler crystals), which he says is magic that will take her home the night of Joffrey's wedding.[10]

A Storm of Swords

Sansa tells Ser Dontos of the Tyrell plot to marry her to Willas Tyrell, saying she will no longer need his help to escape, and Dontos warns her not to trust the Tyrells.[11] Dontos informs Petyr Baelish of this plot, who informs Tywin Lannister, who prevents the marriage by plotting to have Sansa married to his son Tyrion Lannister instead.[12] Dontos attends the wedding of Sansa to Tyrion, where he is used as a footstool by Tyrion so that he can place the marriage cloak around the shoulders of the much taller Sansa.[13]

Sansa continues to meet Dontos secretly in the godswood every night,[14][15] where he reassures her that she will escape the night of Joffrey's wedding, what clothing she should prepare for the escape, and that she must wear the hairnet he gave her to the wedding.[7] After King Joffrey dies at his wedding to Margaery Tyrell, poisoned with the Strangler from one of the amethysts of Sansa's hairnet, Dontos takes Sansa away during the confusion.[7]

Ser Dontos escapes the Red Keep with Sansa and delivers her to Petyr Baelish, who had been waiting for them on a ship in Blackwater Bay. Once Sansa has been rowed out and delivered onto the ship, Dontos asks for his payment of 10,000 golden dragons, as promised by Petyr. Instead, Petyr orders Dontos killed. Three men step onto the gunwale, raise their crossbows, and fire. One bolt takes Dontos in the chest, while the others rip into his throat and belly. When it is done, Ser Lothor Brune tosses a torch on top of the corpse, burying the secret with the drunkard. Petyr justifies the murder to Sansa by claiming that once Dontos had spent his gold, he would have sold the information he had about her to another party. He also tells her that he was the one behind Dontos's actions the entire time.[7] Later, Petyr tells Sansa that Dontos was not involved in Joffrey's murder, except for making sure that she wore the hairnet.[16]

A Feast for Crows

Brienne of Tarth, who has sworn to find and save Sansa Stark, learns that Dontos Hollard disappeared from King's Landing at the same time Sansa did, and decides he must have helped her escape. She searches for Sansa and Dontos, asking travelers if they have seen a highborn maid of three-and-ten with blue eyes and auburn hair, accompanied by a portly man who may be dressed as a fool or a knight.[3] Brienne encounters Ser Shadrich the Mad Mouse, who perceives the identities behind her questions, and tells her he is also seeking Sansa and Dontos, for the large reward Varys has offered.[3]

At Duskendale, Brienne speaks to the maester of the Dun Fort, who tells her of the Defiance of Duskendale and the destruction of all of House Hollard except for Dontos. The maester tells her Dontos never returned to Duskendale, and that if he did help murder King Joffrey, he feels he would hide anywhere but Duskendale. Later, an hour's travel north of Duskendale, Brienne sees the ruins of a Hollard castle, and thinks Dontos may have been born there.[5]

Quotes by Dontos

“

Dontos Hollard: I lose. Fetch me some wine.Joffrey Baratheon: A cask from the cellars! I'll see him drowned in it.[6]

”

“

I know it's queer, but... all those years I was a knight, I was truly a fool, and now that I am a fool I think... I think I may find it in me to be a knight again, sweet lady. And all because of you... your grace, your courage. You saved me, not only from Joffrey, but from myself.[2]

We're delivered, sweetling! They came up the roseroad and along the riverbank, through all the fields Stannis had burned, the ashes puffing up around their boots and turning all their armor grey, but oh! the banners must have been bright, the golden rose and golden lion and all the others, the Marbrand tree and the Rowan, Tarly's huntsman and Redwyne's grapes and Lady Oakheart's leaf. All the westermen, all the power of Highgarden and Casterly Rock! Lord Tywin himself had their right wing on the north side of the river, with Randyll Tarly commanding the center and Mace Tyrell the left, but the vanguard won the fight. They plunged through Stannis like a lance through a pumpkin, every man of them howling like some demon in steel. And do you know who led the vanguard? Do you? Do you? Do you? It was Lord Renly! Lord Renly in his green armor, with the fires shimmering off his golden antlers! Lord Renly with his tall spear in his hand! They say he killed Ser Guyard Morrigen himself in single combat, and a dozen other great knights as well. It was Renly, it was Renly, it was Renly! Oh! the banners, darling Sansa! Oh! to be a knight![9]